The Las Vegas Raiders are leaving no stone unturned in their search for the team’s next head coach. After firing Pete Carroll following a 3-14 2025 season and holding the No. 1 overall pick, the Silver and Black understand the importance of this hire.
With so much at stake for the Raiders to start steering in the right direction, the team’s former QB, Rich Gannon, offered his take on their head coach search during a Jan. 16 appearance on the “Up & Adams” show.
“I’ve got a lot of people that some people say Jon Gruden, I don’t think that’s going to happen; Mike McCarthy, I don’t think that’ll happen,” Gannon said. “I mean, there’s a lot of young coordinators, there’s a lot of young coaches that they’re going to bring in. I think this is going to surprise some people; I think you put that [Raiders head coaches interviewed list] up there, it very well could be somebody that’s not on that list.”
It will be interesting to see if Gannon is right and the Raiders do go with someone they haven’t interviewed yet. Nonetheless, what can be said about this process is that Las Vegas have an open mind and aren’t pinpointing one specific candidate as their next head coach for the upcoming season. Perhaps this approach could pay dividends.
Tom Brady Breaks Silence on Raiders’ Coaching Search
Amid their search, the Raiders’ minority owner, Tom Brady, spoke with the Associated Press on Jan. 13, and the outlet published the video on Jan. 15 about where the team stands in filling its vacant position.
“I think every team right now is going through their own process to try to figure out what best suits them,” Brady told the AP. “We want to deliver a winner in Las Vegas. The fan base deserves it, and it’s been a long time. So, there’s a lot of pieces of the puzzle you got to get right, but I’m certainly very excited that we’re going to get things going in the right direction.”
Raiders Get Head Coach Prediction From NFL Writer
With the Raiders speaking to several names, during his Jan. 13 appearance on CBS Sports HQ, NFL writer Tyler Sullivan noted the perfect candidate for Las Vegas, since the Raiders will likely have Mendoza, who needs help developing at the pro level.
“[The Raiders] certainly want some stability because I think they’re paying like every head coach now,” Sullivan said. “It feels like in a prior contract, it just hasn’t worked out for them. So, it’s been an expensive endeavor, which is kind of why I don’t think they’re going to get one of those guys looking for a second [head coaching] gig, because it’s probably going to command a little bit more money.
“I think a guy like Klint Kubiak is someone who I find would be really interesting because, as much as we’re joking about the Raiders right now, I think that this is a really interesting job for somebody just like him who has an offensive mind, and this is somewhat close to a blank slate.”
Rich Gannon Reveals Compelling Words on Raiders HC Search